


A Horror Show, or better titled, The Easy Way is Usally Fake

by GoldenSenecio



Category: Love Live! School Idol Project
Genre: Demons, F/F, Murder, Supernatural Elements, Violence, a big helping of:, its murder club, surprise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-05
Updated: 2017-04-05
Packaged: 2018-10-14 23:33:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10546236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoldenSenecio/pseuds/GoldenSenecio
Summary: Whoops, guess I wrote murder club.I haven't played LL in two years but I spent $300 on love gems once and this is the only way I can make peace with THAT disappointment.





	

 

The girl by all accounts given, from the ceiling to the floor to the group of girls terrified at what they had done, was dead.

"We didn't have any choice. We had to do this."

_But then why does she look like she still has something to say?_

\---

There are a few things that Umi runs over in her mind that sink like stones in her stomach, like tounging at a canker sore at the base of the gums when it’s fresh and new, it feels almost compulsive.

In the mostly empty school library she feels the screaming heat of August, even though it’s January and wearing anything less than three layers is considered unprepared, walking through the aisles pretending to browse. Her legs are weightless and slow, hardly keeping up with a natural unassuming pace, no one but her seems to feel cotton in their skull.

 

"Hey."

 

She looks up

 

"Oh , hey"

 

And she is enthralled. 

Honoka is, in a word, lovely. In another, hellish, devious, a kick in the face while you're already down. Umi loves her, and Honoka knows, even though they won't say it aloud. She stands almost like a phantom in front of her, everything seems the same but just off a little to the left, and knots her hands together. Her mouth quirks open and her voice is flat and sweet, like drinking soda left out on the counter, Umi’s hands don't move from her sides.

 

 _There you are,_ a voice in her head fills in

 

 _"_ I’ve been wondering where you’ve been, I didn’t see you at lunch earlier."

 

_Have you been feeling okay?_

 

"I know we’ve got practice later on, but if you’re not feeling okay we can wait-"

 

_We both know we can’t push this back anymore, we’ve waited too long._

 

"No," Umi says with a voice from somewhere "I’m just a bit tired, so I came here to rest."

 

Honoka looks out and away, almost searching, she can’t meet her eye.

 

"Good! Fine, Great- just meet us up in the club room after the last bell. I’ll see you there!" her hands knot together tighter, and the carpet can’t muffle how much force she uses to skitter away. She dashes out the door, wanting to skip over anything you may, even if you wanted to, say while there were other people in the room.

Umi glances over at the librarian, their head snaps away so fast it cracks.

\---

The hallway is deserted while she moves about it, stretching out her fingers to feel the metal lockers, killing time till the last possible moment. There is what feels like electricity moving through her body, almost a nervous bounce, as she get closer to the club room. There is no light from the bulbs above her, the window in the door seems to illuminate everything, or maybe that's just part of her imagination? The windows to her left give off the last remainder of the sun, coating her from her head to her waist in a orange veil, if she stands out here in the light a little longer maybe everything that is bound to happen will turn into foam. Maybe, a small part of Umi’s soul that had been decomposing says, maybe this is optional.

Before anything else, before even a sliver of a second chance, Nozomi comes bounding down the hall breaking the stillness.

 

"Hey!!" she yells aloud "I found someone who wanted to come practice with us!"

 

Umi feels like they’re tonguing a canker sore. 

Someone is trailing behind, obviously given up on trying to match Nozomi’s strides, and they look up at Umi with open and apologetic eyes

 

"I heard through a few rumors that you were looking for a new singer?" her voice matches that look "My name is-"

 

"Hitomi" Nozomi interrupts

 

"Uh, yeah -" Hitomi stumbles "I can sing so I wanted to see what I could do!"

 

Umi can feel themselves emoting surprise, the pull of a smile, their eyebrows going up.

 

"Well, " she starts "we're always looking for help. Did you bring anyone else?"

 

Hitomi doesn't skip a beat

 

"No, it's just me! I haven't had time to really make any new friends." she smiles largely at Umi

 

Nozomi follows suit, baring her teeth in a forced grin, no one bats an eye.

There is a theory about buildings, especially schools and apartments, saying they're alive and witnesses to everything that happens within them. These buildings don’t judge, they only breathe between the stillness that hides in their hallways and dark rooms, they only foster the lives passing through their mazes. The lost time, the five minutes you can’t seem to remember from your trip from the nurse's office to your next classroom, becomes their blood supply. A city is alive with or without its citizens, a experiment of permanence in a life of impermanence, and it will survive long past its builders.

Here, in this not quite alive and not quite dead building, it can only watch everything that is to unfold.

The club door opens easily, the wash of light from inside seems to eat the last orange flare from the sun, and Honoka stands with her hand on the door handle already playing the game.

 

"You seem to show up later and later, Umi" her eyes pointed directly to Umi’s forehead "Honestly! Next time I’ll need to get you here myself."

 

_That’s a threat._

Nozomi swings herself around Honoka and brings Hitomi in by her wrist in an almost playful way, the plastic under her feet making noise, the hallway feels lonely without her voice bouncing around it.

 

"Are you guys painting the walls or something?" Hitomi whines out while being brought inside "it smell like chemicals."

 

Honoka does not tense, just pivoting on her feet to follow, an old pro at turning things around.

 

"Yes! The club room is getting redone, but they told us we can come in and practice while it's being finished." her voice echos, Umi lets herself in.

 

The room they use isn’t cramped, _per se_ , it's just smaller than many would expect. The walls are covered head to toe in plastic, there is drying paint to protect after all, the floor covered in either foot prints of workers or leftover plastic. It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the fumes in such a small space, but you make due with what you have, even if it’s killing you. How the keys to this closed off room were passed on to Honoka, Umi doesn’t want to ask, it's only here and now in this bright room that she is focused. The windows in front of her are covered with plastic, to keep out prying eyes, even though the room is several floors above the ground. The sun has finally gone down, that small part of her doesn't comment on the irony of losing second chances, her stomach rolls over.

 

"Nozomi, how can we practice in here?" Hitomi complains "it's almost choking."

 

God, that voice doesn't help the headache coming on.

There is a sudden flurry of movements in the room, panicked talking over a muffled scream, however she can’t seem to help looking out into the dark outside. Past the glass there seems to be another world, ignorant to the room she stand in, and for the not the first time today she feels the sting.

 

"Umi!" Honoka snaps, holding down a rebellious arm, "stop being an idiot!"

 

Among the theories of building being alive, as romantic as they seem, one cannot help but feel almost sorry for these witnesses. They watch as their citizens talk around their faults, around their continued refusal of reality, and make the same mistakes expecting a different outcome. As if wishing for an escape would be enough to make it happen, as if thinking about opening a window it will suddenly do so, as if living in this dream world made the rent and did your work for you. Dreaming up a short cut never meant it was ever really a shortcut to what you wanted.

Umi thinks that maybe when the deal was first struck, while her hands are around Hitomi’s neck, they didn't ask the right questions.

\---

_‘_

_We have to become idols to save our school! To bring more people in so this place doesn't close down!’ Honoka says to you with that look in her eye._

 

_‘We don’t have the resources or anything, we’re powerless’ you lightly banter back._

 

_‘So, let's just get some! I'm sure if we ask someone powerful to sponsor us we could do it!’ her hands clasp over yours, holding them up to both of your eyes._

 

_You would follow her anywhere._

 

_‘Sure, let's just ask a bunch of demons to give us what we want, what could go wrong!’_

 

_you laughed loudly, and she smiles._

\---

 

There is a very specific cracking noise that threads it way out from under her palms, something that she would love to scrub from her memory, there is a likeness to the crack from that librarian’s neck. The room is a witness and the florescent lights only hum, night creeps in from the window pane, somewhere Nozomi is already clearing way to take the girl below you apart.

\---

 

‘ _Tell me, what happens if we can’t hold up our end of the bargain!’, you half scream at Honoka while she's on her hands and knees, your arms hover above her uselessly._

 

_Honoka lifts her head, eyes wide and horrified at your face._

_‘We die!’ she horsely whispers to you, ‘We die!’_

 

\---

　

 

**Author's Note:**

> This may stay a one shot? depends on how it goes.


End file.
